Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-15
1000 MILES AN HOUR.
From Boston to Liverpool In the Course
of an Afterno0n-Trsnsit Across
the Ocean BIZ Means
lion of q Newspapers Man that Will
Astonish the Word.


breakfast in New York and lurch in Lon
don?
Nothing less, we assure you, when the
theories Of Col. John II. Pierce are put
in practice.
The story which q Globe reporter heard
from the lips of the inventor was like
tale from the Arabian Nights or con-
ceptiop of Jules Verne. Listening to
his enthusiastic Utterances one could
readily believe that 1t was no visionary
scheme Of Colonel Sellers, but the care
fully thought out plan of s msn OF no lit
tie ability.
When the reporter come upon the little
manufacturing village of PIantsyille on
the New Haven and Northampton Rail
road il did not impress him with the idea
that it was the home Of sn inventive ge-
MUS, who is prepared TO sstOnish the
world with the magnitude of his scheme.
Plentsyille has about 1900 inhabitants and
is the counterpart of hundreds Of other
places in New England Evidently the
natives are rot al a8are that one OF the
men who walks their streets carries uu-
der his hat SO much Of which they never
canned in their widest Imagination.
The first two men could not tell who he
was the third pointed out his boarding
place.
The Colonel proved a good man to in
te1vew. He lost no time. He has been
q newspaper msn himself. Models, pat
ents, scientific papers and drawings were
scattered about MS apartments. Colonel
Pierce said that as yet little was known
outside his room OF his plan for connect
ing this continent with the old world by
means of pneumatic tubes. Some state
ment Of 4 brief nature has been made to
2 local paper; only within q day almost
| has il been developed to its present stage.
la response to a request to give the facts
the inventor was all enthusiasm, and
with the air Of g man who knew whereof
| he affirmed.
eyes, believe my plan is practical
enc. This country can be connected with
Europe by means Of pneumatic tubes of
large proportions When the theories
are reduced to practice they may be mOdi-
! fed to some extent, but | assure you the
time is coming-it may not be at once,
! but it is certain. You know the general
public were for long time sceptiCal about
/ the submarine telegraph" said the Col
! oDel, smiling.
GLOW would they be laid and oper-
ated?"
CATER the manner of the cables, as
/ will hereafter explain. We will be
obliged to have them laid exactly
! straight, or as near straight as
the surface of the globe will per
nit They will be opeaated by cur
rents of air, but on principles quite diff
/ ferent in some respects from those geV-
erning the small lines now in use; the
general principles remain the same. Oh
course, the tubes will always be in cou-
Piles, with currents of air driven through
them, the current of one tube always
moving in an opposite direction from the
other.
'In speaking Of it I have USUALLY taken
( for illustration the heaviest cannon. Sup
pose the Oufce were still larger, or 8 car
in place OF the charge, the tube Of the
gun indefinitely continuous, and finally
suppose the speed only only governed by
the rapidity with which the air can be
forced through"
''Will 1t not be difficult to force currents
of air the distance you contemplate?
go, no; the speed of this current can
DE made SIS great as desired, and with
scarcely sny limit, by simply using 6
great number Of steam fans or
the principle of those used in blast
furnaces"
chow will they be stopped-speed be
checked"
"On half tubes of the proper length
As tube approaches its terminus
branches or arteries for the passage o
sir currents only can connect with tht
companion tube, ard thus the force bt
communicated from one 20 another
This is something Of Importance, anC
its utility will be proved of value
,, to the conservation Of power on shor
lines"
These facts are Of interest, but VIVA
the public most wishes TO learn is abou
the utility OF the scheme as means o
transit. How will it be constructed an,
, run-ard how will it save time"-sug
gested the reporter.
az have Just reached he point. TIL
tubes must be large enough to admit o
passengers, OF course, yet small as pos
sibIe. l would have individuals sit tan
, dem, one ahead Of the other, you see
,, Friction? That would be prevented b.
ball bearings-necesSsTy appliances, Tn,
, motion would hardly be percepti5le t
= the passenger. II is hard to speculate
! upon the speed attains5le. One hundre
: miles On hour would be the easies
= thing in the world; 1000 mile
. an hour is not impossible wit
: polished steel surface for tube lining, an
exterior friction we could provide fol-
The speed, owing to the curvature of tn
earth's surface, will tend to overcome 8
weight and make the pressure greatest o
the upper portion Of the tube, when rur
ming at maximum speed. Tank of goin
to London in such a way and in such tim
as that.
'Yetit is no wild theory. cannon bal
for instance, would pierce the slr, but
car, such as l describe, would not; i
fact, it would not move as fast as the a
surrounding it.
"This method of transit possesses &C
vantages over the railways. Temperatur
within the tube can be regulated perfect
by currents of air, heated or cooled. \
jac will wear out the nerves Of the pa
senger, CT contact wear the csg. Thel
cannot possibly be collisions. No loss {
g power through exhaust, as with the loco
|. motive. No army Of employees to keep
g in repair. No expensive purchase of rigi
l. Of way or construction of tunnels, bridge
e etc. One who carefully considers ii
: subject cannot fail to see the advantage